SEATTLE — The filing deadline for people to run for political office and get on the ballot is Friday.

One of the big races will be for Seattle mayor. The man currently holding the job is vying for a second term. Bruce Harrell took office in 2022 and aims to be the first Seattle mayor in 15 years to be reelected. 

Harrell went on the record with KING 5's Joyce Taylor to talk about what he believes are the hallmarks of his first term, including revitalizing downtown, affordable housing and public safety. 

Taylor: What grade would you give yourself on the first term? 

Harrell: I appreciate that question. I don't grade myself. I never do that, and the reason being is (that) I'm an eternal optimist.  

Taylor: What are you most proud of? 

Harrell: Rebuilding the police department, going to each precinct, talking to each officer, and you look at our crime rates, homicides down 27.5%. Violent crime down 11%. Crimes across all categories, down 18%. When I took office, we had lost 300 officers. That's a fifth of our police department. And worse, we had a narrative where our police officers were demoralized. There was talk about defunding them, and we took that department now to where we're getting 4,000 applications a year, almost 10 a day.

Taylor: Did the increase in millions of dollars for the Seattle Police Department pay off? 

Harrell: The net increase of officers is the first time this has gotten accomplished since 2019. This is not easy work. You're looking at the cities across the country that haven't been able to reverse the trend that we did here in Seattle. So, even though there was a net increase of only one officer, the trajectory is right. We've hired 60 officers this year, and my chief, my superstar chief, they said we're on a trajectory to hire 200, hopefully by the end of this year. 

Taylor: You are (on) your third police chief in four years. As you know, Adrian Diaz's tenure was marred by sexual harassment scandals and lawsuits. He's now suing the city for ten million, alleging discrimination and harassment and wrongful termination. And I think people want to know if you think that you stood by him too long? 

Harrell: Well, that's a fair question. I suppose I don't know. I mean, I don't think about it like that. This is how I try to treat every human being fairly, and I try to use data to make a decision. And Adrian Diaz was a person I knew even when I was on the city council. And I will err on the side of treating someone fairly every single time. 

Taylor: How do you respond to critics who suggest that your delay in dealing with sort of all of the drama within the police department has basically led to this culture? 

Harrell: My first speech I gave as mayor, I said we are going to model being a learning organization. And the first step in being a learning organization is looking at yourself, the race and social justice lens is not just about race. It's about every person that's under-represented, disrespected in the workplace. And so that's the work we're doing. I believe we have some of the right leaders in place now, and we're going to move forward. 

Taylor: Let's talk about affordable housing. I know that you're familiar with the recent poll that was done. 29% of Seattleites feel that cost of living is their top concern, but rents are high, and it's almost impossible for a lot of people to even afford to live in the city. So what will you do to address that? 

Harrell: Housing is a critical piece of what makes a great city. Under my administration, we've invested over a billion dollars, and we passed a $970 million housing levy to make sure that we are rapidly and aggressively addressing affordable housing. So what we've done is we've looked at, first of all our comprehensive plan, and we've addressed the need for over 300,000 units that I proposed around neighborhood centers. And so we looked at our all 84 square miles of our city to say, 'How can we embrace growth?'

In my budget, we propose $342 million. That's the largest in our city's history for affordable housing, because I want that teacher here. I want that social worker here. I want that barista here. So we're doing everything possible to make sure we get the affordability that we want.  

Taylor: (At this) point in time in 2024, there were still about 10,000 people who were unsheltered in King County. And of course, we still see homeless encampments across the city.  

Harrell: When I inherited this job, there were tents everywhere. RVs everywhere. People were living in cold conditions, incredible heat conditions. And I said, not under my administration. So, we rapidly made sure that our housing strategies and our housing first approach would house these folks. And you saw a removal of over 80% of the encampments. 

We put in more money than the county, but I do not get any funds from my neighbors, whether it's Tukwila, or Kent, or Federal Way, or Renton, or Bellevue, or Mercer Island. Eighty-five percent of tiny homes in the county are in Seattle. This is a city with 84 square miles, Joyce. It’s hard enough for a barista or a teacher to live here. I can't house all of these folks, and so our answer has to be in a true regional approach. 

Taylor: The city is facing a $240 million budget deficit. What is the plan? How do you tackle that? 

Harrell: So number one, all options are on the table. We also have to look at new revenue sources. That's just the reality of it. I have a hiring freeze right now. I have a hold on contracts, travel, and so we're doing all those things. But again, I can't just cut $240 million out of the budget without everyone's quality of life being affected, and that is a goal to make sure our core services are optimal during this fiscal challenge. 

The Downtown Seattle Association has reported 88 new businesses, 3,000 residential units added in 2024, but the vacancy rates (are) still pretty high. My enemy is plywood on windows where there's closed businesses. So one of the things I'm telling folks is, first of all, for downtown to be inviting. That's why public safety is so important, right? We have to make it inviting for everyone.  

WATCH: Full interview with Mayor Bruce Harrell

Taylor: How important is FIFA going to be for this city? And what is your plan to really make the most of it in terms of dollars and cents? 

Harrell: The FIFA games is going to be huge, and we're talking about 11 Super Bowls here in the city, but we're also talking about the revitalization of the Seattle Center, where the fan zone would be. We have a robust strategic plan for the Seattle Center. FIFA will put us on the world stage. 

And what did we announce (last week). We now have a women's professional hockey team. So we're the only major city to have a soccer team, a basketball team, and now a hockey team. This is all a trajectory to put Seattle on the map, the way it deserves to be on the map. So FIFA is going to be, is give us the excuse to dress up.  

Taylor: You brought up sports. When are we going to get the Sonics? 

Harrell: Yes. First of all, I'm very optimistic, and I don't want to get in front of my skis on this one, but it's very clear that both our market and Las Vegas are the, I think, the best markets, and so we are ready.  

Taylor: Are there buyers in position? I mean, are we ready for an NBA team?  

Harrell: Yes, yes, yes, and yes. You know, I have, I don't want to say, almost weekly meetings on what we're trying to do here. I am committed to doing everything possible to getting a team back. 

Taylor: Finally, Mayor, politics is a tough business. So why do you do it? 

Harrell: I have to do this. This is the most consequential race in my career, and I've won four elections because our nation is in crisis, and I honestly believe that the answers for our country are found right here in Seattle. We're smart, we're committed. We love our people, and we love our climate and our fight against climate change. We are well-read. We believe in education. I believe the answers are here. So that's why this race is so important to me, and that's why I'm re-upping to do it another term. 

Harrell’s re-election bid is now without its challenges. He faces a growing field of candidates, including Ry Armstrong, a member of the Seattle LGBTQ Commission, Katie Wilson, co-founder of the Transit Riders Union, and several others across the political spectrum. 

KING 5 plans to interview the leading challengers in the weeks ahead.